JP7581003B2 - Luggage loading device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a luggage loading device that loads and unloads luggage, such as cardboard boxes, mounted on a pallet onto and from the bed of a vehicle, such as a truck.

Generally, when cargo placed on a pallet (pallet load) is loaded onto the bed or cargo compartment of a truck, the loading work is performed by an operator operating a forklift. This requires manpower and time, resulting in high costs. The following patent documents disclose loading devices that automate the loading of pallet loads. Patent document 1 discloses a loading device in which two forks that scoop up pallet loads have a pivot that allows them to pivot horizontally. Patent document 2 discloses a loading device in which pallet loads lifted by the forks are loaded close to the width of pallet loads already loaded into the cargo compartment.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-244982 JP 2020-40771 A

Various improvements have been required for the above-mentioned conventional loading devices. For example, in Patent Document 2, luggage is supplied from an input mechanism (conveyor) to a transfer device equipped with forks. The transfer device had to return to the input mechanism every time luggage was loaded onto the loading platform. This meant that the transfer device had to travel a long distance, and the loading operation required a lot of time. Thus, there has been a need for a loading device that can speed up the loading operation.

According to one feature of the present disclosure, the luggage loading device is a luggage loading device that performs at least one of the operations of loading luggage onto a vehicle bed or unloading luggage from the bed. The luggage loading device has a lift mechanism that raises and lowers luggage and transports the luggage in a direction toward or away from the bed. The luggage loading device has a supply mechanism that supplies luggage to a lift section of the lift mechanism or receives luggage from the lift section. The lift mechanism and the supply mechanism are moved together in the forward and backward directions by a main movement mechanism.

Therefore, regardless of the forward/rearward position of the main moving mechanism, it is always possible to transfer luggage between the lift mechanism and the supply mechanism. This makes it possible to omit the operation of the lift mechanism approaching and moving away from the supply mechanism every time the lift mechanism supplies or transfers luggage to or from the supply mechanism. This makes it possible to speed up and streamline the loading and unloading of luggage onto the platform. The left-right and front-back directions are not limited to the orientation of the vehicle. For example, if a vehicle is parked on either the left or right side of the luggage loading device, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is the longitudinal direction, and luggage may be loaded from either the left or right opening. Or, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle may be the left-right direction, and luggage may be loaded from the rear opening.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the supply mechanism has a standby conveyor that is arranged in parallel with the lift mechanism and transports luggage in a direction that moves the luggage closer to or away from the lift mechanism, and a supply conveyor that is arranged in parallel with either the left or right side of the lift mechanism and the standby conveyor and supplies luggage between the standby conveyor and the lift mechanism. Therefore, luggage is transferred between the lift mechanism and the standby conveyor by moving the supply conveyor.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the supply conveyor is arranged on the side closer to the loading platform, in parallel with the lift mechanism and the standby conveyor in either direction of moving the luggage closer to or away from the loading platform. Therefore, the supply conveyor moves between the standby conveyor and the lift mechanism on the side closer to the loading platform to supply the luggage between the lift mechanism and the loading platform. Therefore, by moving the lift mechanism toward the loading platform, the lift mechanism can scoop up the luggage from the supply conveyor.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, a loading mechanism is installed in an area on the opposite side of the loading platform from the movement area of the main moving mechanism. The loading mechanism loads luggage onto the standby conveyor, or the luggage is thrown out from the standby conveyor. Therefore, the loading mechanism is installed in the equipment area where the main moving mechanism is installed, rather than in the rear or front of the vehicle (track area). For example, in Patent Document 2, the loading mechanism (conveyor) is located at the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the direction in which the vehicle can enter and retreat from the track area is limited to one direction. On the other hand, in the present disclosure, the front and rear of the vehicle can be opened. As a result, the direction in which the vehicle can enter and retreat from the track area can be set in both directions. In this way, the vehicle can quickly enter and retreat from the track area, and loading or unloading work can be expedited. Alternatively, multiple vehicles can continuously enter and retreat from the track area in one direction.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the input mechanism has an input conveyor that moves luggage along the edge of the movement area of the main movement mechanism and inputs luggage to the standby conveyor or throws luggage from the standby conveyor. Therefore, luggage is transported between the standby conveyor and the input mechanism via the input conveyor at any position in the movement area of the main movement mechanism. This allows luggage to be efficiently input or thrown between the input mechanism and the standby conveyor.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, in the lift mechanism, the lift section is moved in a direction approaching the loading platform, thereby transferring the cargo on the supply conveyor to the lift section. Therefore, the cargo is supplied from the supply conveyor to the lift section by utilizing the movement of the lift section.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the lift section has two forks that can be inserted into the fork insertion holes of the luggage. The two forks have a length that allows them to hold at least two luggage pieces adjacent to each other. They have a temporary placement stand on which to temporarily place the first of the two luggage pieces that is supplied from the supply mechanism. Thus, at least two luggage pieces are held simultaneously in the lift section in an adjacent state, improving the efficiency of the loading operation. This makes it possible to hold two luggage pieces simultaneously in the lift section with a simple configuration while avoiding the need for a large supply mechanism.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, with the first piece of luggage temporarily placed, the lift unit moves in a direction approaching the platform and the second piece of luggage is transferred from the supply mechanism to the lift unit. Thus, the two pieces of luggage can be held with a more compact operation of the lift unit while avoiding the need to enlarge the supply mechanism.

1 is an overall plan view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partial rear view of the conveying device as seen from the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a supply mechanism and a lift mechanism, the plan view showing a state in which the supply conveyor is located at a standby position. 1 is a plan view of a supply mechanism and a lift mechanism, which shows a state in which packages are conveyed onto a supply conveyor. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, showing the state in which the supply conveyor has moved to the supply position. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, which shows a state in which the lift unit has moved and the load has been transferred from the supply conveyor. 1 is a plan view of a supply mechanism and a lift mechanism, which shows a state in which the lift unit has moved and placed the transferred cargo on a temporary placement table. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, showing the supply conveyor returned to the standby position. 11 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, which shows a state in which a second article has been transferred to the lift section. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, showing a state in which two packages have been transferred to the lift section and the supply conveyor has been returned to the standby position. FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the vehicle and the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism from the right side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle and the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism as viewed from above. 13 is a plan view showing the movement state of the distance sensor relative to the rear edge of the opening as viewed from above. FIG. 13 is a view showing the forward movement of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism relative to the luggage compartment, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 13 is a view showing the vertical movement of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism relative to the luggage compartment as viewed from the right side. FIG. 13 is a view from the right side showing the vertical movement of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism near the front edge of the opening. FIG. 13 is a view from the right side showing the state in which the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism has passed from the rear to the front relative to the front wall of the luggage compartment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of each device related to control of the conveying device. 13 is a rear view of the lift unit lifting up luggage from the temporary placement table and the supply mechanism. FIG. 13 is a rear view of the lift unit when it has moved to an upper area of the floor surface of the cargo bed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the lift unit placing luggage on the floor of the loading platform. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing how the lift unit loads luggage onto a loading platform. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vehicle and a transport device inclined horizontally.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 26. As shown in Figs. 1 and 14, the vehicle 1 is, for example, a large truck with a side wing. The vehicle 1 has an opening 3 on the right side of the luggage compartment 2 for loading or unloading luggage. The opening 3 is opened and closed by a wing (not shown) that rotates up and down around the ceiling. In the following description, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are based on the vehicle 1.

As shown in FIG. 14, the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 is formed between the front wall 4, the rear wall 5, the ceiling 6, and the luggage platform (floor) 7. The rear surface of the front wall 4 of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the front edge of the opening 3, and the front surface of the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the rear edge of the opening 3. The left side wall 8 is located at the back of the opening 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is stopped in the upper track area T. The vehicle 1 is stopped in the track area T with the cabin 1a positioned forward (on the right side of the drawing). An equipment area P is set below the track area T, with a boundary E as the boundary. A luggage loading device 10, which will be described below, is installed in the equipment area P. The luggage loading device 10 loads luggage W into the luggage compartment 2 one after another. The luggage loading device 10 can also be used to unload luggage W from the luggage compartment 2 by operating it in a manner generally opposite to the loading operation. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the equipment installation surface Q of the equipment area P where the luggage loading device 10 is installed is flush with the road surface R of the track area T.

As shown in FIG. 1, the luggage loading device 10 includes a lift mechanism 100, a supply mechanism 20, and a main movement mechanism 40. The lift mechanism 100 has a lift section 120 that raises and lowers luggage W. The supply mechanism 20 supplies luggage W to the lift section 120. When unloading luggage, the supply mechanism 20 receives luggage W from the lift section 120.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 are mounted on a lift base 41 of a main movement mechanism 40. The main movement mechanism 40 moves the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 together in the front-rear direction along the luggage compartment 2 of the vehicle 1. The main movement mechanism 40 has two rails 42 laid in the front-rear direction along the luggage compartment 2 of the vehicle 1. The lift base 41 is supported via the two rails 42 so that it can move forward and backward along the luggage compartment 2 (opening 3) of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the main movement mechanism 40 has a drive mechanism 43 for moving the lift base 41 along the two rails 42. The drive mechanism 43 uses an electric motor 44 and a rack-and-pinion mechanism 45.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lift mechanism 100 includes a lift section 120 supported on the lift base 41 via upper and lower two-stage slide mechanisms 101 and 102. The upper and lower slide mechanisms 101 and 102 each include a pair of slide rails and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism of the lower slide mechanism 101 uses an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism. The drive mechanism of the upper slide mechanism 102 uses an electric motor and a rack and pinion mechanism. The lower slide table 103 is supported on the lift base 41 via the lower-stage slide mechanism 101 so that it can slide left and right (in the direction approaching and moving away from the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2).

As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of rollers 105 are provided on the left end of the lift base 41. When the lower slide table 103 slides toward the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the left end of the lower slide table 103 is received from below by the pair of rollers 105. When the lower slide table 103 slides toward the opening 3 and the luggage W enters the luggage compartment 2 through the opening 3, the lower slide table 103 (the weight of the lift section 120) is received by the rollers 105, so that the luggage W does not move downward (the lift section 120 does not bend). A roller body is used for the rollers 105 to ensure smooth sliding of the lower slide table 103.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper slide table 104 is supported on the lower slide table 103 via the upper slide mechanism 102 so as to be slidable left and right. The upper slide table 104 is provided in a state in which it stands upward from the lower slide table 103. With the lower slide table 103 supported by the rollers 105, the upper slide table 104 can move by protruding leftward from the left end of the lower slide table 103 toward the loading platform 7. The lift table 107 is supported on the right side of the upper slide table 104 via a lift mechanism 106 so as to be liftable. As shown in FIG. 4, an electric cylinder-type lift drive unit 108 having an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism is interposed between the upper slide table 104 and the lift table 107. The lift table 107 is lifted and lowered using the lift drive unit 108 as a drive source.

As shown in FIG. 3, a tilting frame 109 is supported on the left side of the lifting platform 107. The tilting frame 109 is supported so as to be tiltable up and down relative to the lifting platform 107 via a tilting support shaft 110 provided at the bottom. An electric cylinder-type tilting drive mechanism 111 having an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism is interposed between the tilting frame 109 and the lifting platform 107. The tilting drive mechanism 111 causes the tilting frame 109 to tilt up and down around the tilting support shaft 110. In this disclosure, the tilting drive mechanism 111 is also referred to as a tilt mechanism.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, two forks 121 are supported on the tilting frame 109. When the tilting frame 109 is tilted by the tilt drive mechanism 111, the forks 121 tilt up and down together with the tilting frame 109. The two forks 121 are supported on the tilting frame 109 in a state in which they can freely tilt up and down within a certain angular range via the tilting support shafts 110. The downward tilting range of the forks 121 is restricted to a roughly horizontal position by the stopper 121d. The weight of the luggage W is supported by the restriction at the horizontal position by the stopper 121d. The forks 121 are allowed to tilt upward from the horizontal position, and when the forks 121 receive a force from below, they escape upward within a certain angular range.

As shown in Figures 4 and 22, the two forks 121 have a long, flat plate shape that can be inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the pallet 11, and are supported parallel to each other. The right ends of the two forks 121 are bent upward into an L-shape. The forks 121 are supported by the tilting frame 109 with the fork horizontal part 121b extending generally horizontally to the left via the fork mast 121a that is bent upward.

As shown in FIG. 22, a detection sensor 121c is provided on the upper part of the fork mast 121a to detect the tilting of the fork mast 121a relative to the tilting frame 109. When the fork 121 receives a force from below and rotates clockwise, the fork mast 121a tilts to the right. When the detection sensor 121c detects that the fork mast 121a is tilted to the right at a tilt angle of a predetermined angle or more, it transmits a signal. In response to the signal, an alarm device provided in the luggage loading device 10, for example, is activated. For example, a lamp is turned on or a buzzer sounds an alarm. This notifies the user that the fork 121 is in inadvertently contacting the loading platform 7, the front wall 4, or the like. A detection sensor instead of the detection sensor 121c may be provided, for example, on the fork horizontal part 121b. The detection sensor may detect the force or impact that the fork horizontal part 121b receives from below using, for example, a strain gauge. Alternatively, the detection sensor may detect vibrations of the fork horizontal part 121b, for example, when the fork horizontal part 121b receives a force from below.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the two forks 121 have a length that allows them to hold two pieces of luggage W adjacent to each other. As shown in Figure 22, a first distance sensor 121e and a second distance sensor 121f are provided on the underside of the fork horizontal part 121b of each of the two forks 121. The first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f measure the height of the underside of the fork horizontal part 121b relative to the floor surface by, for example, irradiating light (infrared light, laser light, etc.) downward and receiving the reflected light. The first distance sensor 121e is provided in the tip area (left area) of the fork horizontal part 121b. The second distance sensor 121f is provided in the base end area (right area) of the fork horizontal part 121b. Preferably, the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f are provided in an area that avoids the tip part where the fork 121 is relatively thin. The first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f are located in a place that is not covered by the bottom of the pallet 11, in other words, in a position where they can irradiate light downward through the opening of the pallet 11. The first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f can irradiate laser light downward on the pallet 11 through the opening when the fork horizontal portion 121b holds two pallets 11 side-by-side.

As shown in FIG. 21, the loading device 10 has a control unit 116 that controls the operation of the lift mechanism 100. The control unit 116 has a (floor surface) inclination angle calculator 116a that calculates the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7, a fork movement controller 116b that controls the movement of the fork 121, and a memory 116c. The inclination angle calculator 116a and the fork movement controller 116b are software such as programs stored in the memory 116c, for example. The memory 116c stores in advance the left-right distance between the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f. The memory 116c can also store the amount of movement by which the lift mechanism 100 moves the lift unit 120 in the up-down or left-right direction, the tilt angle when the tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the fork 121, etc.

The tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the platform 7 relative to the underside of the fork horizontal section 121b. The tilt angle calculator 116a is electrically connected to the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f. The tilt angle of the platform 7 is calculated based on the height data acquired by the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f, respectively, the distances of the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f stored in the memory 116c, and trigonometric functions. A calculation program for calculating the tilt angle is stored in a non-volatile memory.

The fork movement controller 116b is electrically connected to the lifting mechanism 106, the upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the tilt drive mechanism 111. The fork movement controller 116b transmits a command signal based on the tilt angle of the platform 7 calculated by the tilt angle calculator 116a and the data stored in the memory 116c. The lifting mechanism 106, the upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the tilt drive mechanism 111 are driven appropriately by the command signal transmitted by the fork movement controller 116b.

As shown in Figures 5 to 12, the supply mechanism 20 has a standby conveyor 21 on the upstream side and a supply conveyor 22 on the downstream side. Although not shown in the figures, the standby conveyor 21 has chain conveyor mechanisms 21a on both sides in the conveying direction (the direction approaching the track area T). The chain conveyor mechanism 21a has an electric motor as its drive source. A large number of conveying rollers are arranged in parallel between the chain conveyor mechanisms 21a.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the standby conveyor 21 is disposed behind the lift mechanism 100 and generally parallel to the lift mechanism 100. When loading luggage W into the luggage compartment 2, luggage W brought in from the upstream side in the transport direction (the right side in Figure 1) is transported to the left. Multiple luggage W can be kept on standby on the standby conveyor 21. The standby luggage W is transferred one by one onto the supply conveyor 22.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the supply conveyor 22 is movable between a standby position downstream of the standby conveyor 21 (the luggage compartment 2 side) and a supply position displaced forward from the standby position. The standby position of the supply conveyor 22 is set to a position close enough to the standby conveyor 21 so that the luggage W can be smoothly transferred between the supply conveyor 22 and the standby conveyor 21. The supply conveyor 22 is located to the left of the lift mechanism 100 that moves to the supply position. The supply position is set to a position where the luggage W can be transferred between the supply conveyor 22 and the lift mechanism 100. The supply conveyor 22 is moved by a pair of slide rails 22a and a slide drive mechanism 22b. The slide drive mechanism 22b uses an electric motor and a rack and pinion mechanism. The standby position and supply position of the supply conveyor 22 and the presence or absence of luggage W are detected by sensors not shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, fences 23 are provided along both sides (front and back) of the standby conveyor 21 in the conveying direction. Fences 24 are also provided on both the front and back of the supply conveyor 22. The fences 23, 24 each extend high upward. For cargo W, such as relatively large cardboard boxes stacked two high on the pallet 11, the fences 23, 24 prevent the cargo from falling over.

As shown in FIG. 21, the control unit 116 has a supply conveyor movement controller 116d, a standby conveyor drive controller 116e, and a lift base movement controller 116f that control the operation of the supply mechanism 20. The standby conveyor drive controller 116e issues a command signal that controls the drive of the slide drive mechanism 22b to move or stop the supply conveyor 22 in the forward/backward direction. The standby conveyor drive controller 116e issues a command signal that controls the drive of the chain conveyor mechanism 21a. The lift base movement controller 116f issues a command signal that controls the drive of the main movement mechanism 40 to move or stop the lift base 41 in the forward/backward direction. The supply conveyor movement controller 116d, the standby conveyor drive controller 116e, and the lift base movement controller 116f are software such as programs stored in the memory 116c, for example.

(Structure of the Insertion Mechanism 60)
As shown in Fig. 1, a feeding mechanism 60 is provided in the device area P. The feeding mechanism 60 is installed in an area on the opposite side of the vehicle 1 with respect to the movement area of the main movement mechanism 40. The feeding mechanism 60 feeds baggage W onto the standby conveyor 21 of the supply mechanism 20. In addition, in the unloading operation, conversely, the baggage W is thrown from the standby conveyor 21 to the feeding mechanism 60.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input mechanism 60 has an input conveyor 61 that inputs baggage W onto the standby conveyor 21 or throws baggage W out from the standby conveyor 21, and an input moving mechanism 62 that moves the input conveyor 61 along the edge of the movement area of the main moving mechanism 40. The input moving mechanism 62 is laid along the main moving mechanism 40 over approximately the same area. The input moving mechanism 62 has a pair of rails 63 and an input drive mechanism. Although not shown in the figure, the input drive mechanism has an electric motor and a rack and pinion mechanism, just like the drive mechanism of the main moving mechanism 40. The input conveyor 61 is moved forward and backward along the rails 63 by the input drive mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input conveyor 61 has a pair of chain conveyor mechanisms, similar to the standby conveyor 21. The chain conveyor mechanism has an electric motor as its drive source. A large number of transport rollers are arranged in parallel between the chain conveyor mechanisms. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the input conveyor 61 is moved to the right side of the standby conveyor 21, which has been moved horizontally by the main movement mechanism 40. As a result, the luggage W carried onto the input conveyor 61 is input into the standby conveyor 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, luggage W can be loaded onto the input conveyor 61 at any position, regardless of the position of the standby conveyor 21. The horizontal movement of the input conveyor 61 by the input movement mechanism 62 is performed independently of the horizontal movement of the standby conveyor 21 by the main movement mechanism 40. The input conveyor 61 is input into the input conveyor 61 at any position by the input movement mechanism 62, and then the input conveyor 61 is moved horizontally by the input movement mechanism 62 until it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21. When it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21, the chain conveyor mechanism is activated and the luggage W is input onto the standby conveyor 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, an infrared sensor 122 is installed on the top of the lift platform 107 of the lift mechanism 100. The infrared sensor 122 recognizes the state of the two pieces of luggage W held by the two forks 121 (misalignment or collapse of the luggage loaded on the pallet 11). This allows the luggage W to be transferred reliably. The infrared sensor 122 can also confirm the state of the luggage W even when it is loaded into the luggage compartment 2. This allows the collapse of luggage in the luggage compartment 2 to be detected.

(Structure of luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50)
As shown in Fig. 1, in addition to the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20, a luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is provided on the lift base 41. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 detects the size of the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 (length L in the front-rear direction and height H) and the depth D of the luggage compartment 2. The luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is disposed near the left corner of the front part of the lift base 41.

As shown in Figures 13 and 21, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 includes a support pillar 51 installed on the lift base 41, and a lifting pillar 52 that moves up and down relative to the support pillar 51. The support pillar 51 is fixed in an upright position facing upward. The lifting pillar 52 is supported with its longitudinal direction aligned with the support pillar 51. The lifting pillar 52 is supported relative to the support pillar 51 via a lifting drive mechanism 56. The lifting drive mechanism 56 uses an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism.

The lifting drive mechanism 56 raises and lowers the lifting column 52 based on a command signal from the lifting column controller 116g provided in the control unit 116.

As shown in Figs. 13 and 17, an upper distance sensor 53 is attached to the top of the lifting column 52, and a lower distance sensor 54 is attached to the bottom. The upper distance sensor 53 and the lower distance sensor 54 are attached at a distance equal to the height H of the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 (set to about 2200 mm in this embodiment). More specifically, the upper distance sensor 53 and the lower distance sensor 54 are arranged at a distance shorter than the height H of the opening 3, so that both sensors 53, 54 can be positioned within the height of the opening 3 at the same time. In this embodiment, laser light type distance sensors are used for the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54. When the lifting column 52 is raised and lowered, the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 are raised and lowered at the same time by the same distance h in the same direction.

The initial position of the lifting column 52 is set so that the upper distance sensor 53 is lower than the height of the ceiling 6, and the lower distance sensor 54 is lower than the height of the floor 7 from the road surface R. In this embodiment, the initial position of the lifting column 52 is set so that the lower distance sensor 54 is at a height of 750 mm from the road surface R. In the sensing stage of the luggage compartment 2, the lifting column 52 is raised and lowered in an area above the initial position. Specifically, the lifting range of the lower distance sensor 54 is set to an assumed range from the road surface R where the vehicle 1 is stopped to the luggage compartment 2 luggage platform 7 (floor), for example, 900 to 1300 mm, or a range including the assumed range, for example, 800 to 1400 mm. This makes it possible to confirm that the luggage platform 7 (floor) is present in a height range of 900 to 1300 mm from the road surface R. The lower end position of the lower distance sensor 54 is set to coincide with the lower end position of the lift unit 120.

In other words, the lift unit 120 (forks 121) is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 106 to correspond to the expected height of the vehicle's loading platform 7 (floor). For example, if the vehicle 1 is a large truck, the floor (loading platform) is usually located at a height of about 800 mm or more above the road surface R. Therefore, the lift unit 120 (forks 121) is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 106 in an area at least 800 mm or more above the road surface R. When the loading platform 7 (floor) of the loading space 2 is recognized to be not located within the expected range, the loading space measuring mechanism 50 issues a signal to an alarm device such as a warning light or a warning buzzer. The alarm device issues an alarm such as a light or sound. At the same time, the loading preparation work is temporarily stopped.

(Movement of luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50)
Laser light is emitted from the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 towards the luggage compartment 2, and various distance data (signals) relating to the luggage compartment 2 are obtained.

As shown in Figures 13 to 20, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 has a sensor horizontal movement mechanism that moves the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 horizontally along the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 to positions corresponding to the front edge (front wall 4) and rear edge (rear wall 5) of the opening 3. In this embodiment, the main movement mechanism 40 that moves the lift base 41 on which the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is installed corresponds to the sensor horizontal movement mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 13, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 has a sensor lifting mechanism that moves the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 in the vertical direction to positions corresponding to the positions of the ceiling 6 of the luggage compartment 2 and the luggage platform 7. In this embodiment, the lifting drive mechanism 56 of the lifting column 52 in the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 corresponds to the sensor lifting mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 13, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 has a calculation processor 55 that calculates the positions of the front edge (front wall 4) and rear edge (rear wall 5), ceiling 6, and floor (cargo platform 7) of the opening 3, as well as the depth of the luggage compartment 2, based on large changes in the signals from the distance sensors 53 and 54. The calculation processor 55 is provided in the control unit 116. The calculation processor 55 is software such as a program stored in the memory 116c, for example.

The measurement operation (measurement step) of the luggage compartment 2 by the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 will be described below. First, as shown in FIG. 14, the lifting column 52 is raised from the initial position to the measurement start position by the lifting drive mechanism 56 at the rear of the luggage compartment 2. As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is moved to a position higher than the ceiling 6, and the lower distance sensor 54 is moved to a position higher than the floor 7. In this embodiment, at this stage, the lower distance sensor 54 is moved to a height of about 1400 mm from the road surface R. With the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 raised, the lift base 41 of the main movement mechanism 40 is moved forward. As a result, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally slowly forward.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the distance sensors 53, 54 (the lower distance sensor 54 in this embodiment) are moved horizontally relative to the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2, causing the laser light to move from being irradiated onto the right side of the rear wall 5 to being irradiated away from the right side and onto the left side wall 8 of the luggage compartment 2. The distance to the right side of the rear wall 5 and the distance to the left side wall 8 of the luggage compartment 2 are significantly different. For this reason, when the target of the laser light shifts from the right side of the rear wall 5 to the left side wall 8 of the luggage compartment 2, a discontinuous and large fluctuation occurs in the distance data (signal) obtained by the distance sensor 54.

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the position of the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 is detected by discontinuous and large fluctuations in the signal obtained by the lower distance sensor 54 (rear edge measurement step).

17 and 18, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally forward, passing through the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 and detecting the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2. After that, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 further moves horizontally forward a predetermined distance (for example, to a position shown in FIG. 17, which is relatively toward the rear of the luggage compartment 2) and stops at a rearward position. The predetermined distance is, for example, stored in a memory in advance. At the rearward position, the lifting column 52 is lowered to the lowering end (for example, the initial height). As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is displaced to a position lower than the ceiling 6. Also, the lower distance sensor 54 is displaced to a position lower than the loading platform 7 (floor) (a height of 800 mm from the road surface R). Once displaced to the lowering end, the lifting column 52 is raised. As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is displaced from below to above the right side of the ceiling 6, and the position (height) of the ceiling 6 is detected. In addition, the lower distance sensor 54 is displaced from below to above with respect to the right side surface of the loading platform 7, and the position (height) of the loading platform 7 is detected (ceiling length measurement step and floor length measurement step). The positions of the ceiling 6 and loading platform 7 are also detected based on discontinuous and large changes in the signals obtained by the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54.

By detecting the height position of the loading platform 7 (floor), it is confirmed that the loading platform 7 of the vehicle 1 is located at a height within the expected range (900 to 1,300 mm).

As described above, the ceiling 6 and the loading platform 7 are detected for the first time at the position where the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 passes the rear wall 5 forward. After that, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally forward again by the operation of the main moving mechanism 40. The luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 moves horizontally from a rear position of the luggage compartment 2 to a front position by a preset distance and stops at the front position. The preset distance is a distance shorter than the expected length of the luggage compartment 2 in the front-rear direction, and is, for example, stored in a memory in advance. As shown in FIG. 19, the ceiling 6 and the loading platform 7 are detected for the second time at the front position. Even at the front position, the lifting column 52 is once lowered to the lower end and then raised. As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is displaced from below to above with respect to the right side of the ceiling 6, and the position (height) of the ceiling 6 is detected. Also, the lower distance sensor 54 is displaced from below to above with respect to the right side of the loading platform 7, and the position (height) of the floor 7 is detected.

In this way, the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7 are detected at the stage where the distance sensors 53, 54 are displaced from below to above at two positions, one near the rear and one near the front of the cargo space 2. In this regard, the distance sensors 53, 54 may also be detected at the stage where they are displaced from above to below with respect to the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7. Therefore, when the distance sensors 53, 54 are moved horizontally from a rearward position to a forward position, the distance sensors 53, 54 may be moved horizontally while remaining positioned below the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7, or the distance sensors 53, 54 may be moved horizontally while remaining positioned above the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7. This reduces the vertical movement distance of the distance sensors 53, 54, enabling rapid opening sensing.

In addition, when the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally from a rearward position to a forward position of the luggage compartment 2, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 can be configured to pass the front wall 4 of the luggage compartment 2 from rear to front, and then return to the rear and stop at a forward position. In this case, after the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 detects the front wall 4, it detects the height positions of the ceiling 6 and the cargo bed 7 at a forward position. With this configuration, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 can be accurately stopped at a forward position relative to the front wall 4 of the luggage compartment 2.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the height H of the opening 3 of the cargo room 2 is calculated by the arithmetic processor 55 based on the positions of the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7 detected by signals from the upper and lower distance sensors 53 and 54, and the vertical position of the lifting column 52 when the signal is received. As described above, the height positions of the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7 are detected at two points, the front and rear of the opening 3, and the inclination of the cargo room 2 and the opening 3 in the front and rear directions is detected.

Next, as shown in FIG. 20, when the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 moves horizontally by the main moving mechanism 40 and passes through the front wall 4, the position of the front wall 4 is detected by the lower distance sensor 54 (leading edge length measuring step). As with the rear wall 5, the position of the front wall 4 is also detected based on discontinuous and large fluctuations in the distance data (signal) obtained by the lower distance sensor 54.

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the positions of the front wall 4 and rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 are detected by discontinuous and large fluctuations in the signal obtained by the lower distance sensor 54. The arithmetic processor 55 calculates the length L in the front-to-rear direction of the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 based on the positions of the front wall 4 and rear wall 5 detected by the signals from the distance sensors 53 and 54 and the movement distance of the main movement mechanism 40 when the signal is received (the front-to-rear position of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50) (calculation step).

14 and 16, the depth D of the luggage compartment 2 is calculated by the arithmetic processor 55 based on the signal from the distance sensor 54 at the edge positions corresponding to the leading and trailing edges of the opening 3 and the signal from the distance sensor 54 at a position facing the opening 3 (the opening position between the leading and trailing edges) (depth measurement step). The position facing the opening 3 corresponds to the left side wall 8 (rear surface) detected at the stage where the position of the front wall 4 or the rear wall 5 is detected. Therefore, the depth D of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the distance from the opening 3 to the left side wall 8.

As shown in FIG. 14, the distance and position to the opening 3 (front wall 4, rear wall 5, ceiling 6, cargo bed 7), the size of the opening 3 (length L, height H), and the depth D of the cargo room 2 are accurately detected by the cargo room length measuring mechanism 50, so that the loading operation of the luggage W by the lift section 120 of the lift mechanism 100 can be performed quickly and accurately. While the loading operation of the luggage W by the lift mechanism 100 continues, the detection of the position of the opening 3 by the cargo room length measuring mechanism 50 is repeated at appropriate timing. This allows the operation of the lift section 120 to be controlled in response to the displacement (sinking) of the cargo bed 7, in particular, that occurs due to an increase in the weight of the loaded luggage W.

(Calculation of Loading Position of Baggage W)
1, pallets 11 are loaded in two rows, one on the left and one on the right, in the luggage compartment 2, and, for example, a plurality of cargo items are placed on each pallet 11. In the following description, one pallet 11 on which one or a plurality of cargo items are placed is regarded as one cargo item W (loading position calculation step).

Referring to Figures 1, 14, and 21, the position where the luggage W is loaded onto the loading platform 7 is calculated by the processor 55 based on the detection signal of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50. The longitudinal positions of the front wall 4 and rear wall 5 detected by the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50, the height of the floor of the loading platform 7, the depth D, etc. are stored in the memory 116c. The loading position of the luggage W is calculated based on the left-right center line S of the loading platform 7 and the front-rear reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc.

Referring to Figures 1, 14, and 21, the center line S in the left-right direction of the loading platform 7 is calculated by the calculation processor 55 based on the depth D stored in the memory 116c. Specifically, first, the distance between the right end (near end) of the front wall 4 or loading platform 7 and the left side wall 8 (rear face) at the front of the loading room 2 is calculated as the depth D. At the rear of the loading room 2, the distance between the right end (near end) of the rear wall 5 or loading platform 7 and the left side wall 8 (rear face) is calculated as the depth D. The center line S is calculated by connecting the midpoint in the left-right direction of the depth D calculated at the front of the loading room 2 with the midpoint in the left-right direction of the depth D calculated at the rear of the loading room 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 21, the calculation processor 55 calculates the front-rear positions of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. at a predetermined interval from the rear end of the front wall 4 based on the front-rear position of the front wall 4. The reference line U1 is spaced rearward from the rear end of the front wall 4 by a distance equal to the sum of half the length of the luggage W in the front-rear direction and the predetermined interval k1. The reference line U2 is spaced rearward from the reference line U1 by a distance equal to the sum of the length of the luggage W in the front-rear direction and the predetermined interval k2. The reference line U3 is spaced rearward from the reference line U2 by a distance equal to the sum of the length of the luggage W in the front-rear direction and the predetermined interval k2. The intervals k1 and k2 are preset values according to the size of the luggage W or the pallet 11 in the front-rear direction and are stored in the memory 116c. Note that the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. may be calculated not only based on the rear end of the front wall 4, but also at a predetermined interval from the rear end of the rear wall 5 toward the front (lift operation control step).

As shown in FIG. 1, the forks 121 are moved to loading positions at intersections of the center line S and each of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. The luggage loading device 10 moves the forks 121 so that the intermediate position C of the forks 121 is aligned with each of the intersections of the center line S and each of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. The intermediate position C of the forks 121 indicates the intermediate position in the front-rear and left-right directions of the two luggage W held by the forks 121 (see FIG. 4). As a result, the two luggage W held by the forks 121 are placed on the loading platform 7 symmetrically left and right with respect to the center line S. The first two luggage W to be loaded are placed with a distance k1 between them in the front-rear direction relative to the rear end of the front wall 4. The luggage W adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are placed with a distance k2 between them in the front-rear direction.

(Throwing of baggage W by throwing mechanism 60)
As shown in Fig. 1, luggage W can be carried onto the input conveyor 61 at any position, regardless of the position of the standby conveyor 21. The horizontal movement of the input conveyor 61 by the input moving mechanism 62 is performed independently of the horizontal movement of the standby conveyor 21 by the main moving mechanism 40. The input conveyor 61 is inputted into a desired position by the input moving mechanism 62, and then the input conveyor 61 is moved horizontally by the input moving mechanism 62 until it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21. When it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21, the chain conveyor mechanism is operated to input the luggage W onto the standby conveyor 21.

(Movement of the supply mechanism 20)
5 and 6, when the supply conveyor 22 moves to the standby position, one piece of luggage W is delivered from the input mechanism 60 to the upstream side of the standby conveyor 21. The luggage W delivered onto the standby conveyor 21 is transported toward the supply conveyor 22.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first piece of luggage W is transported onto the supply conveyor 22. After that, multiple pieces of luggage W (two pieces in FIG. 6) are loaded onto the waiting conveyor 21. When the first piece of luggage W is loaded onto the supply conveyor 22, the transport drive of the waiting conveyor 21 is temporarily stopped, and the multiple pieces of luggage W that have been loaded are placed on standby.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the first luggage W is carried onto the supply conveyor 22, the supply conveyor 22 is slid forward toward the supply position. The supply conveyor 22 is slid to the supply position and positioned to the left of the lift unit 120. In this way, until the first luggage W is supplied to the supply position, the upper and lower two-stage slide mechanisms 101, 102 of the lift mechanism 100 are held at the slide rearward end. Therefore, the lift unit 120 is retracted to the right rearward end position.

As shown in FIG. 21, the slide drive mechanism 22b is driven based on a command signal from a supply conveyor movement controller 116d provided in the control unit 116. The supply conveyor movement controller 116d issues a command signal based on the command signal from the fork movement controller 116b so that the operation of the lift mechanism 100 and the operation of the supply conveyor 22 are mutually optimized.

(Movement of the lift mechanism 100)
As shown in Fig. 8, when the first luggage W reaches the supply position, the upper slide mechanism 102 is actuated to slide the upper slide base 104 toward the luggage compartment 2. This causes the lift unit 120 to approach the luggage W on the supply conveyor 22. The lower slide mechanism 101 continues to be stopped, and the lower slide base 103 is positioned at the right rear end position. The lift mechanism 106 and the tilt drive mechanism 111 are also stopped, the lift unit 120 is held at the initial height below, and the forks 121 are held in an approximately horizontal position.

As shown in FIG. 22, the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f each detect the height from the upper surface of the lift base 41 to the lower surface of the fork horizontal portion 121b. Height data when the forks 121 are positioned at the initial height and are not holding any luggage W is stored in memory 116c (see FIG. 21). Detection of the initial height by the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f is performed only once, before the forks 121 hold the first luggage W to be supplied. Alternatively, the initial height may be detected every time, for example, before the first luggage W is supplied.

As shown in Figure 8, when the lift section 120 moves due to the operation of the upper slide mechanism 102, the two forks 121 are inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the pallet 11 (see Figure 22). At this stage, approximately half of the area on the tip side of the two forks 121 is inserted into almost the entire area of the fork insertion holes 11a. The amount of sliding of the lift section 120 is appropriately controlled to ensure this appropriate amount of insertion.

After the forks 121 are inserted appropriately into the first piece of luggage W as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the lift unit 120 is raised by the lifting mechanism 106 (see Figure 3). This causes the first piece of luggage W to be lifted from the supply conveyor 22. The lifted piece of luggage W, held by the forks 121 of the lift unit 120, is transported to the right from the supply conveyor 22 as the lift unit 120 moves to the right.

As shown in Figures 1, 9 and 10, a temporary placement table 115 is provided to the right of the supply position of the supply conveyor 22. The temporary placement table 115 is composed of a front temporary placement table 115a arranged at the front (right side in the figure) and a rear temporary placement table 115b arranged at the rear (left side in the figure). The distance between the front temporary placement table 115a and the rear temporary placement table 115b is set to a distance that allows one piece of luggage W to be placed across them. The first piece of luggage W transported to the right from the supply conveyor 22 is transferred onto the temporary placement table 115 by retracting the lift unit 120 to the slide end and returning it to the lower end by the lifting mechanism 106 (see Figure 3).

When the first piece of luggage W is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 115 as shown in FIG. 10, the lowering end position of the lift section 120 is appropriately controlled so that the two forks 121 are suspended above the fork insertion holes 11a of the pallet 11 (not in contact with the pallet 11) (see FIG. 22). Therefore, the temporary placement height of the temporary placement table 115 matches the supply height of the supply conveyor 22.

As shown in FIG. 10, after the lift unit 120 is retracted to the slide end, the supply conveyor 22 is returned to the standby position. This prevents the fence 24 from interfering with the lift unit 120. The second baggage W is transported from the standby conveyor 21 to the supply conveyor 22 that has been returned to the standby position.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the supply conveyor 22 that has received the second piece of luggage W is again moved to the supply position. When the second piece of luggage W reaches the supply position, the lift section 120 is again slid to the left by the upper slide mechanism 102. This causes the two forks 121 to move toward the second piece of luggage W, as shown in Figure 11. The forks 121 are moved while remaining inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the first piece of luggage W that is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 115. The tip ends of the two moved forks 121 are inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the second piece of luggage W (see Figure 22).

When it is confirmed that the two forks 121 are inserted into two luggage W adjacent to each other in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 11, the lift unit 120 is raised by the lifting mechanism 106 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the first luggage W is lifted from the temporary placement table 115, and the second luggage W is lifted from the supply conveyor 22 (step (hereinafter abbreviated as ST) 01 in FIG. 25).

21 and 22, the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f detect the height from the top surface of the lift base 41 to the bottom surface of the fork horizontal part 121b when two luggage W are lifted (ST02). The tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the fork horizontal part 121b of the fork 121 with respect to the horizontal direction. The tilt angle of the fork horizontal part 121b is calculated based on the height data detected by the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f and the mutual distance between the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f stored in the memory 116c (ST03). The tilt drive mechanism (tilt mechanism) 111 tilts the fork 121 (ST04). The tip (left end) of the fork horizontal part 121b bends downward due to the weight of the luggage W. Therefore, the tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the tip of the fork horizontal part 121b upward so that the fork horizontal part 121b is approximately horizontal.

As shown in Figures 21 and 22, the tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the fork horizontal part 121b based on the detection signals of the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f and the initial height of the fork 121. The initial height of the fork is stored in advance in the memory 116c when no luggage W is being held. When the fork horizontal part 121b is horizontal, the tilt angle taking into account the correction angle of the fork horizontal part 121b is set as the initial angle. The memory 116c stores the tilt angle of the fork 121 at the time when the fork horizontal part 121b is at the initial angle (ST05).

As shown in FIG. 12, when the two pieces of luggage W are lifted, the lift unit 120 is temporarily returned to the sliding rear end. With the lift unit 120 returned, the supply conveyor 22 is returned to the standby position. After the two pieces of luggage W are thus held by the two forks 121, the lifting mechanism 106 raises the lift unit 120 to a position higher than the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST06). The upper slide mechanism 102 and the lower slide mechanism 101 cooperate to slide leftward to move the lift unit 120 through the opening 3 to the upper area (loading position) of the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST08, see FIG. 3). In addition, by operating the main movement mechanism 40, the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 move together in the forward and backward directions toward the loading position.

As shown in Figures 21 and 23, when the lift unit 120 moves to an area above the floor of the platform 7, the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f detect the height from the floor of the platform 7 (ST08). The height to the floor of the platform 7 is stored in the memory 116c. The tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the floor of the platform 7 based on the detection signals of the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f (ST09). The tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the forks 121 so that the fork horizontal parts 121b are parallel to the floor of the platform 7 based on the tilt angle of the floor (ST10).

Referring to Figures 21 and 23, the lifting mechanism 106 lowers the lift unit 120 based on the height to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 stored in the memory 116c (ST11). First, the pallet 11 is placed on the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST12). The lifting mechanism 106 then lowers the lift unit 120 until the fork horizontal portion 121b is positioned approximately at the center of the height of the fork insertion hole 11a (ST13, see Figures 3 and 24). The fork horizontal portion 121b is released from the weight of the luggage W by lowering the lift unit 120 and placing the luggage W on the loading platform 7. This causes the tip side of the bent fork horizontal portion 121b to tilt upward.

Referring to Figures 21 and 24, the tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the fork horizontal part 121b based on the tilt angle stored in the memory 116c in ST05 (ST14). The tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the tip of the fork horizontal part 121b downward by the same amount as the tilt angle stored in the memory 116c in ST05. This makes the fork horizontal part 121b approximately parallel to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST15). The upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the lift mechanism 106 cooperate to lift and lower the lift part 120 backward (rightward) in the approach/removal direction or up and down. Based on the detection signals of the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f, the lift part 120 is moved approximately to the right so that the height of the lower surface of the fork horizontal part 121b relative to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 is approximately constant. This allows the fork horizontal part 121b to be removed from the fork insertion hole 11a without hitting the upper and lower surfaces of the fork insertion hole 11a (ST16). Thus, the fork horizontal part 121b is removed from the fork insertion hole 11a (ST17). This allows the lift part 120 to retreat from the area above the platform 7.

21 and 24, the fork horizontal part 121b may be removed from the fork insertion hole 11a without using the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f. The fork movement controller 116b sends a command signal to the upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the lift mechanism 106 based on the inclination angle of the floor surface of the platform 7 stored in the memory 116c. The upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the lift mechanism 106 work together to move the fork horizontal part 121b at the floor angle parallel to the floor surface of the platform 7. This allows the fork horizontal part 121b to be moved parallel to the floor surface of the platform 7 without sensing. Therefore, the fork horizontal part 121b can be quickly removed from the fork insertion hole 11a.

Figure 1 shows the vehicle 1 stopped in a normal position where there is almost no horizontal tilt of the luggage compartment 2. In this normal position, the opening 3 is positioned approximately parallel to the direction of movement of the main movement mechanism 40. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 26, there are cases where the vehicle 1 is stopped with the luggage compartment 2 tilted horizontally relative to the forward/rearward direction in which the main movement mechanism 40 moves.

18, 19, and 21, the horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 is calculated by the arithmetic processor 55 based on the signals from the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 at the leading edge position, the signals from the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 at the trailing edge position, and the horizontal distance between the leading edge position and the trailing edge position. The horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the horizontal inclination of the opening 3 and the loading platform 7. The arithmetic processor 55 compares the horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 with a tolerance value previously stored in the memory 116c. If the horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 exceeds the previously defined tolerance value, the arithmetic processor 55 transmits a signal to a warning means such as a warning light or a warning buzzer. The warning means that receives the signal issues a warning, and the driver is instructed to correct the parking position of the vehicle 1.

21 and 26, when the luggage compartment 2 is inclined horizontally within the tolerance range, adjacent luggage W are arranged with a left-right shift from each other. The loading position of the luggage W is calculated based on the center line S and the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. The calculation processor 55 calculates the depth D in the same way as when the vehicle 1 is stopped in the normal position. Specifically, the depth D is calculated at the front and rear of the luggage compartment 2. The center line S is calculated by connecting the left-right midpoint of the depth D calculated at the front of the luggage compartment 2 with the left-right midpoint of the depth D calculated at the rear of the luggage compartment 2. The center line S calculated in this way extends parallel to the inclination direction of the luggage compartment 2, which is inclined horizontally with respect to the normal position. The calculation processor 55 calculates the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. in the same way as when the vehicle 1 is stopped in the normal position. That is, the calculation processor 55 calculates the front-rear positions of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. at a predetermined interval rearward from the intersection of the rear end of the front wall portion 4 and the center line S.

21 and 26, the luggage loading device 10 moves the forks 121 so that the intermediate positions C of the forks 121 are aligned with the intersections of the center line S and the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. As a result, the first two luggage W to be loaded are placed with a distance k1 between them in the front-rear direction relative to the center of the rear end of the front wall 4. The luggage W adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are placed with a distance k2 between them in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the luggage W adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are placed with a shift in the left-right direction by a distance d based on the horizontal inclination angle of the luggage compartment 2. Thus, even if the luggage compartment 2 is inclined horizontally relative to the normal position, the luggage W can be loaded approximately evenly onto the loading platform 7 using the luggage loading device 10.

According to the luggage loading device 10 described above, the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 are mounted adjacent to each other on a common lift base 41 and move together. Therefore, regardless of the forward/rearward position of the main moving mechanism 40, luggage W can be constantly supplied from the supply mechanism 20 to the lift mechanism 100. This allows the luggage W to be loaded or unloaded from the luggage compartment 2 quickly and efficiently.

The luggage loading devices 10 are concentrated on the device area P side, avoiding the front and rear of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the front and rear of the vehicle 1 are made into a track area T for the vehicle 1 to move or stop. This allows the vehicle 1 to enter the track area T from either the front or rear. As a result, it becomes easier to stop the vehicle 1 at a specified position, and loading or unloading operations using the luggage loading device 10 can be further expedited. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 can exit the track area T by moving forward without having to move backward. As a result, it also becomes easier to have multiple vehicles 1 enter the track area T successively.

The two forks 121 are long enough to hold two pallets 11. This allows two pieces of luggage W, each containing two pallets 11, to be held simultaneously by the lift section 120. As a result, the luggage W can be efficiently loaded into the luggage compartment 2.

The lift mechanism 100 temporarily places the first piece of luggage W supplied from the supply mechanism 20 on the temporary placement table 115, and ultimately holds two pieces of luggage W. This makes it possible to efficiently hold two pieces of luggage W in the lift section 120 with a simple configuration while avoiding the supply mechanism 20 from becoming too large.

In addition, with the first luggage W temporarily placed on the temporary placement platform 115, the second luggage W is transferred from the supply mechanism 20 to the lift unit 120 by utilizing the movement of the lift unit 120 in a direction approaching the luggage compartment 2. This makes it possible to hold two luggage W simultaneously with a more compact movement of the lift unit 120 while avoiding the supply mechanism 20 from becoming larger.

Furthermore, in the supply mechanism 20, the supply conveyor 22 is moved (along the boundary E) along the slide rail 22a arranged between the ends of the lift mechanism 100 and the standby conveyor 21, so that the luggage W is supplied between the standby conveyor 21 and the lift mechanism 100. Therefore, the luggage W is transferred between the lift mechanism 100 and the standby conveyor 21 within a compact area on the lift base 41.

The input mechanism 60 is installed in an area on the opposite side of the luggage compartment 2 from the movement area of the main movement mechanism 40. The input mechanism 60 inputs luggage W into the standby conveyor 21, and luggage W is ejected from the standby conveyor 21. This makes it possible to input a large number of luggage W from the input mechanism into the standby conveyor 21.

The embodiment described above can be modified in various ways. For example, the lift unit 120 is used to hold two pieces of luggage W at the same time and load them into the luggage compartment 2. Alternatively, this embodiment can be applied to cases where one or three or more pieces of luggage are held and loaded at once, or where luggage is unloaded from the luggage compartment 2. When the lift unit holds one piece of luggage W at a time, the temporary placement table 115 can be omitted.

The luggage loading device 10 can be used not only when loading luggage W into the luggage compartment 2 of the vehicle, but also when unloading luggage W from the luggage compartment 2. When unloading luggage W from the luggage compartment 2, it can be applied by adding a separate means for detecting the position of the luggage W in the luggage compartment 2 (particularly the position of the fork insertion hole 11a) and the loading state, etc., and then operating the luggage loading device 10 in a manner generally opposite to that for loading luggage W into the luggage compartment 2.

Furthermore, the example shows a case where luggage W is loaded into a luggage compartment 2 having an opening 3 on the right side. Alternatively, the example luggage loading device 10 can be applied to a case where luggage W is loaded into or unloaded from a luggage platform that does not have left or right side walls or a rear wall. In the case of a luggage platform that does not have an opening 3 as shown in the example, the detection operation of the ceiling 6 by the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 shown in the example can be omitted.

The input mechanism 60 has been exemplified as being configured to move the input conveyor 61 along the movement direction of the standby conveyor 21 by the input moving mechanism 62, but the input moving mechanism 62 may be omitted and the input conveyor 61 may be fixed at a fixed position. In this case, the transport path (input path, throw-out path) between the input conveyor and the standby conveyor 21 can be connected by moving the standby conveyor 21.

The above example shows a configuration in which the supply mechanism 20 is moved integrally by the main movement mechanism 40 relative to the lift mechanism 100, which loads or unloads luggage W into or from the luggage compartment 2. Alternatively, the lift mechanism and the supply mechanism may be independently movable back and forth. In this case, it is sufficient that the supply mechanism moves to a supply position or a receiving position adjacent to the lift mechanism when luggage W is supplied to or received from the lift mechanism.

Such a load-loading device having a separate supply mechanism can be specified as follows.
A luggage loading device that performs at least one of an operation of loading luggage onto a luggage bed of a vehicle and an operation of unloading luggage from the luggage bed,
a lift mechanism having a lift unit that raises and lowers the luggage relative to the loading platform and moves the luggage in a direction toward and away from the loading platform;
a supply mechanism that supplies the luggage to the lift section or receives the luggage from the lift section;
a lift movement mechanism (main movement mechanism) that moves the lift mechanism in a front-rear direction along the platform;
a supply movement mechanism that moves the supply mechanism in a direction approaching and moving away from the lift device;
A luggage loading device comprising a control mechanism that controls the operation of the supply moving mechanism to move the supply mechanism closer to the lift device at the time of supplying the luggage to the lift device or receiving the luggage from the lift section.

This simplifies and speeds up the work by eliminating the need for the lift mechanism to move closer to the supply mechanism when the luggage is supplied or delivered, thereby increasing the usefulness of the luggage loading device. The lift movement mechanism allows the lift mechanism and the supply mechanism to move independently, so the lift movement mechanism can be used as the supply movement mechanism.

T... truck area R... road surface P... device area Q... device installation surface E... boundary W... luggage C... intermediate position S... (left-right) center line U1, U2, U3... (front-rear) reference line 1... vehicle, 1a... cabin 2... luggage compartment 3... opening 4... front wall portion (front edge)
5...Rear wall (rear edge)
6...Ceiling 7...Cargo platform (floor)
8...Left side wall 10...Loading device 11...Pallet, 11a...Fork insertion hole 20...Supply mechanism 21...Waiting conveyor, 21a...Chain conveyor mechanism 22...Supply conveyor, 22a...Slide rail, 22b...Slide drive mechanism 23, 24...Fence 40...Main movement mechanism 41...Lift base 42...Rail 43...Drive mechanism 44...Electric motor 45...Rack and pinion mechanism 50...Luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 51...Support column 52...Lifting column 53...Distance sensor (upper side)
54...Distance sensor (lower side)
55...Computer processing machine 56...Lifting drive mechanism 60...Feeding mechanism 61...Feeding conveyor 62...Feeding movement mechanism 63...Rail 100...Lift mechanism 101...Lower slide mechanism 102...Upper slide mechanism 103...Lower slide base 104...Upper slide base 105...Roller 106...Lifting mechanism 107...Lifting base 108...Lifting drive unit 109...Tilting frame 110...Tilting support shaft 111...Tilt drive mechanism (tilt mechanism)
115: temporary placement table, 115a: front temporary placement table, 115b: rear temporary placement table 116: control unit, 116a: (floor surface) inclination angle calculator, 116b: fork movement controller 116c: memory, 116d: supply conveyor movement controller 116e: standby conveyor drive controller, 116f: lift base movement controller 116g: lifting column controller 120: lift unit 121: fork 121a: fork mast, 121b: fork horizontal unit 121c: detection sensor, 121d: stopper 121e: first distance sensor, 121f: second distance sensor 122: infrared sensor

Claims (8)

A luggage loading device that performs at least one of an operation of loading luggage onto a luggage platform that is long in the front-rear direction of a vehicle and an operation of unloading luggage from the luggage platform,
a lift mechanism that raises and lowers the luggage and transports the luggage in a direction toward and away from the platform;
a supply mechanism that supplies the luggage to a lift section of the lift mechanism or receives the luggage from the lift section;
a main moving mechanism that moves the lift mechanism and the supply mechanism together in the front- rear direction ,
The lift unit has two forks that can be inserted into fork insertion holes of the luggage, and the forks have a length that allows them to hold at least two of the luggage adjacent to each other,
The lift mechanism is a luggage loading device having a temporary placement table for temporarily placing the first of the two luggage pieces supplied from the supply mechanism . 2. The luggage loading device according to claim 1,
The supply mechanism is a luggage loading device having a standby conveyor arranged parallel to the lift mechanism for transporting the luggage in the direction of approaching and separating the luggage , and a supply conveyor for supplying the luggage between the standby conveyor and the lift mechanism. 3. The luggage loading device according to claim 2,
The loading device, wherein the supply conveyor is disposed between the platform and the lift mechanism, and between the platform and the standby conveyor . A luggage loading device according to claim 2 or 3,
A luggage loading device comprising an input mechanism installed in an area on the opposite side of the loading platform with respect to the movement area of the main movement mechanism, which inputs the luggage onto the waiting conveyor or ejects the luggage from the waiting conveyor. 5. The luggage loading device according to claim 4,
The loading mechanism is a luggage loading device having an input conveyor that moves the luggage along the edge of the movement area of the main movement mechanism and inputs the luggage onto the waiting conveyor or ejects the luggage from the waiting conveyor. The luggage loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The lift mechanism is a luggage loading device that transfers the luggage from the supply mechanism to the lift section by moving the lift section in a direction approaching the loading platform. A luggage loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A luggage loading device in which the lift section moves in a direction away from the loading platform to transfer the luggage from the supply mechanism to the temporary placement table . The luggage loading device according to claims 1 to 7,
A luggage loading device in which, with the first luggage temporarily placed, the lift unit moves in a direction approaching the loading platform, and the second luggage is transferred from the supply mechanism to the lift unit.

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